Commercial cleaning bid template — Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA
Hartsfield-Jackson is the busiest US airport by passenger volume, and its contractor ecosystem generates more 24-hour janitorial shifts per square mile than any comparable market south of Chicago. Midtown Atlanta’s tech and media corridor runs Class B rates noticeably above the suburban Alpharetta campus belt. A BSC who prices all Atlanta-MSA accounts from one rate card will overprice Alpharetta and lose, or underprice Hartsfield-adjacent accounts and bleed margin on the premium shift work.
Atlanta Labor Cost Inputs
BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 37-2011) puts the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta MSA mean near $15.50/hr, median around $14. Georgia follows the federal minimum of $7.25/hr with no state floor above federal; the effective market wage is set by competition, not statute.
Burden math on a $15/hr Atlanta base: FICA 7.65% = $1.15; FUTA/SUTA ~2% = $0.30; Georgia workers’ comp for janitorial approximately $2.00–$2.60 per $100 payroll per the State Board of Workers’ Compensation; health insurance ~$3/hr; vacation ~4%. Total burden: 26–30%, loaded rate near $19–$20/hr. See the wages breakdown for the Atlanta MSA.
Sample Scope of Work: Class B Office Building
Hypothetical 40,000 sq ft Class B building in Midtown Atlanta or the Perimeter Center. Year-round pollen season is an Atlanta-specific scope driver; HEPA vacuuming is essentially non-negotiable on lobby floors during March–May.
| Task | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restroom service + restock | 5x/week | Mold watch in summer; AC humidity spike June–September |
| Lobby and elevator service | 5x/week | Pollen season Mar–May requires daily damp-mop entry |
| Common-area vacuuming | 5x/week | HEPA filter required during pollen season |
| Hard-floor auto-scrub | 2x/week | Mix of LVT, polished concrete, and carpet tile |
| Breakroom and kitchenette | 5x/week | Refrigerator monthly; pest pressure in summer months |
| Conference room reset | 5x/week | Whiteboard, AV, glass table |
| Day-porter coverage (5 hr) | 5x/week | Pollen entry control added Mar–May as noted scope |
| High-dusting: vents and ledges | Monthly | Year-round AC accumulates duct dust continuously |
| Carpet extraction (full) | 2x/year | Separate bid line item; spring and fall cycles |
Atlanta Going Rates: What the Market Pays in 2026
Midtown and Buckhead Class B commands $0.09–$0.14/sq ft/month for 5x/week. Perimeter Center and Cumberland: $0.08–$0.12. Alpharetta and Duluth tech-campus belt: $0.07–$0.10. Day-porter bill rate: $19/hr x 2.3 = approximately $44/hr; 5-hr/day porter near $1,100/month. Use the per-clean vs. hourly calculator to model account structure. Medical office (Emory, Piedmont, Wellstar) adds +25–35%; airport-adjacent 24-hr service +30–45%; post-construction +40–55%.
Georgia Licensing and Insurance Requirements
Georgia requires no statewide janitorial license. The City of Atlanta requires a City of Atlanta Business License. Fulton and DeKalb County unincorporated areas have separate license requirements. Standard GL minimum is $1M/$2M; Hartsfield-Jackson contractor work requires $2M/$5M and airport-authority badging. Georgia workers’ comp: approximately $2.00–$2.60 per $100 payroll per the State Board of Workers’ Compensation.
Right-to-Work Market and Prevailing Wage
Georgia is a Right-to-Work state with minimal janitorial union presence. Federal buildings (Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building, Atlanta VA Medical Center) fall under the Service Contract Act; pull the applicable Georgia wage determination from SAM.gov. Full SCA guidance: dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/sca. No city-level living wage ordinance applies to private commercial contracts in Atlanta.
What Atlanta Buyers Expect in a Bid Response
- Monthly base service: hours x loaded rate by shift (evening janitorial, day porter, supervisor).
- Pollen season supplement: extra entry-control passes and HEPA vacuum cycles March–May as a noted scope addition.
- Supplies schedule: unit prices for consumables; medical accounts require full SDS documentation.
- Equipment depreciation: 36–48 months; HEPA vacuums and burnishers for polished floors.
- Insurance and overhead: GL, workers’ comp, bond, and 12–16% indirect costs.
- Profit margin: 8–13%. Airport-adjacent and 24-hr accounts priced at premium tier.
Bid Walk Checklist: Atlanta MSA
- Note entry mat program and pollen control plan; Atlanta’s pollen season is severe and clients track lobby floor cleanliness closely in spring.
- Check HVAC diffuser condition; year-round AC combined with spring pollen creates rapid diffuser fouling.
- Confirm floor types: new Midtown builds favor polished concrete, older Perimeter stock has VCT, Alpharetta campuses use LVT.
- Ask about pest control responsibility; warm months bring ant and roach pressure to kitchenettes.
- For airport-adjacent or Hartsfield contractor work, confirm badge requirements and security clearance lead time before pricing.
The Pollen Problem and the Scope It Creates
Atlanta regularly leads US cities in tree-pollen counts during March and April. A BSC who prices a standard 5-day lobby maintenance schedule without accounting for daily damp-mop entry passes during pollen season will generate tenant complaints every spring regardless of crew quality. The pollen settles on hard floors within 20 minutes of foot traffic, and standard once-per-night vacuuming does not address it. Adding two 15-minute porter entry passes per day during the 6-week peak season costs roughly $150–$200 per building per month. Not pricing it is how you lose renewals in the Atlanta market.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS SOC 37-2011 (Janitors and Cleaners)
- Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation
- City of Atlanta Business License
- US DOL, Service Contract Act
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
Build your pollen-season scope with the scope-of-work generator. For Emory or Wellstar healthcare accounts, see the healthcare cleaning hub. Stress-test airport-adjacent bid margins with the bid stress-test tool. Check production rates with the production rate calculator.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026